Adjustable bed



S. W. BEITZEL ADJUSTABLE BED July 26, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug.

INVENTOR.

STUART w. BEITZEL ATTORNEY S- W. BEITZEL ADJUSTABLE BED July 26, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug.

.alllllllliilfillllllll! INVENTOR.

STUART W. BEITZEL ATTO RNEY United States Patent 3,262,133 ADJUSTABLE BED Stuart W. Beitzel, Los Angeles, Calif, assignor to Lite Hospital Equipment Inc., Los Angeles, Calili, a corporation of California Filed Aug. 1, 1963, Ser. No. 299,398 8 Claims. (Cl. -66) This invention relates to adjustable beds, and more particularly to such beds of the type designed for hospitals, nursing institutions, or home care for bed patients.

Modern advances in the understanding and treatment of medical problems make it timely to provide an improved bed which can be adjusted to the various positions now known to be medically beneficial. In addition, it is necessary to provide a bed which can be adjusted to the various beneficial positions quickly and without effort on the part of the patient or nurse.

Beds of the type described have in general been already proposed. One of the most promising such beds comprises a three-section mattress support wherein the three sections are pivotable relative to each other and are pivotable as a unit relative to the bed frame. This arrangement makes it possible to adjust the mattress support to assume a great variety of positions, including the standard fiat horizontal position, a chair position, and a substantially vertical position. The last named position makes it possible for a patient to get in and out of bed with minimum exertion.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a three-section bed of the type described wherein an improved construction is provided for adjusting the mattress support unit relative to the bed frame.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement for mounting side arms on the center section of the mattress support whereby the side arms move with the mattress support throughout the various positions of adjustment.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a side arm arrangement in which the side arms have a lowered or out-of-use position in which they do not increase the overall width of the bed so the bed may easily fit through doorways or be otherwise transported or stored, and in which the side arms have a raised or in-use position in which they extend sideways beyond the side rails of the bed and thus do not interfere with full movement of the mattress support unit.

A further object of the invention is to provide an arrangement in which the side arms, even in lowered position, do not prevent rearward rotation of the center section of the mattress support unit.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a bed having a three section mattress support unit in which a light-carrying headboard is attached to the end of the rear mattress support section, whereby the light will be properly positioned for the patient regardless of the position to which the bed is adjusted.

These and other objects and features of advantage will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of an adjustable bed according to the invention with most of the mattress cut away and parts of the mattress support sections cut away. The side arm on the left is shown lowered and the side arm on the right is shown raised;

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FIGURE 2 is a vertical section through the length of the bed along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1, but showing the left sidearm in raised position;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2, but showing the mattress support unit in a substantially vertical position, with the top portion of the mattress support unit cut away;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross section view showing a detail on the line 4-4- of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged cross section view showing a detail on the line 55 of FIGURE 2.

Referring in more detail to the drawings, the adjustable bed 1 comprises a frame 2, and a mattress support unit made up of a foot section 3; an intermediate or center section 4- and a head section 5. The foot section comprises a rectangular frame 6 reinforced by an intermediate brace '7. Similarly, the center section comprises a rectangular frame 3 and a reinforcing brace 9, and the head section comprises a rectangular frame 10 and a reinforcing brace 11. The frames for the foot, center and head sections are each covered by a thin panel 12, 13 and 14, respectively. The cover panels are preferably made of aluminum, as are substantially all other parts of the bed. A mattress 15 is designed to rest upon and cover the entire mattress support unit. In addition, a foot board 16 is preferably attached to the end of foot section 3.

The head and center sections are pivotally interconnected by means of a pivot pin 18 on each side of the bed. The center and foot sections are pivotally connected to each other and to the bed frame by means of a pivot stud 19 on each side of the bed. Studs 19 are carried by pedestals 20 mounted on side rails 21 of the bed frame 2.

The bed frame 2 comprises the side rails 21 which are U-shaped channel members preferably reinforced on the inside by smaller U-shaped channel members 22 and 23 (FIGURE 2). The side rails have a leg 24 attached to each end thereof. Ball type rollers 25 are preferably attached to each leg. The side rails are interconnected by transverse connecting beams 28, 29 and 3t). A motor support panel 31 is mounted between the transverse beams 28 and 29. It will be noted that there is no transverse beam at the front of the bed so that the foot section 3 can rotate downwardly between the side rails 21, as shOWn in FIGURE 3. Similarly, the head-end beam is far enough to the rear to permit the head section 5 to be rotated partly downward between the side rails.

The operating mechanism comprises a conventional electric motor and hydraulic pump unit 35 and conventional hydraulic cylinder and piston units 36, 37 and 38, a pair of units 38 being preferably employed. The motor and pump unit 35 is mounted on the bottom panel 31.

Cylinder and piston units 36 and 37 operate in conventional manner to pivot the head and foot sections, respectively, relative to the center section. Cylinder and piston unit 36 carries a yoke 39 at the cylinder end and a yoke 40 at the piston rod end. Yoke 39 is pivotally pinned to a bracket 41 which is rigidly attached to the forward frame member 8 on the center section 4. Yoke 40 is pivotally pinned to a connecting arm 42 which is rigidly attached to the under side of the reinforcing brace 11 on the head section 5. Arm 42 extends downwardly from the bottom of member 11 so that the line of travel of the piston rod of unit 36 is substantially below the pivot pin 18 which connects the center and head sections. Thus as cylinder and piston unit 36 is extended it will rotate 03 the head section upwardly around pivot pin 18. Also, if unit 36 is contracted it will rotate the head section downwardly relative to the center section. As is obvious from FIGURE 1 the arrangement is such that with the head and center sections both horizontal the piston rod is almost fully retracted so that the head section can be given considerably greater upward rotation than downward rotation.

Cylinder and piston unit 37 carries a yoke 44 at the cylinder end and a yoke 45 at the piston rod end. Yoke 44 is pivotally pinned to a bracket 46 which is rigidly attached to the rearward frame member 8 on the center section 4. Yoke 45 is pivotally pinned to a bracket 47 which is rigidly attached to the under side of the reinforcing brace 7 on the foot section 3. Bracket 47 extends down slightly from the bottom of brace 7 so that the line of travel of the piston rod of unit 37 is below the pivot stud 19 which connects the center and foot sections. Thus, as cylinder and piston unit 37 is contracted it will rotate the foot section downwardly, relative to the center section, around pivot stud 19. If desired, the foot section can be pivoted upward slightly. However, the arrangement is such that the major permissible movement of the foot section is downward. More specifically, the preferred arrangement is such that with the center section horizontal, the foot section can be dropped to substantially horizontal and the head section can be raised to substantially horizontal to form a chair. In order to avoid confusion, the conventional flexible hose couplings between the pump and the several cylinder and piston units have been omitted from the drawings.

The cylinder and piston units 33 are identical on opposite sides of the bed and form the improved mechanism for rotating the center section relative to the bed frame. As will be understood from the preceding description, the foot and head sections move as a unit with the center section, as well as being moveable relative to the center section. In order to mount the cylinder and piston units 38, each unit is bracketed by a pair of mounting walls 50 which are attached to the transverse beams 28 and 29. The cylinder end of each unit 38 carries a yoke 51 which is pivotally secured by a pin 52 extending between the rear end of walls 50. The forward ends of walls 50 have a pin 53 extending therebetween and pivotally supporting a crank arm 54. As shown best in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4, unit 38 has a piston rod 55 which is pivotally joined to one end of arm 54 by means of a yoke 56 and pin 57. The other end of arm 54 carries a pin 58 on which a pair of rollers 59 are mounted; a bearing sleeve 60 surrounds pin 58 to reduce friction. Rollers 59 operate in a guide track 61 shown in enlarged detail in FIGURE 4. A mounting plate 62 for the guide track on each side of the center section is attached to the frame 8 of the center section. Rivets 63 secure the guide track to the mounting plate 62.

As shown best in FIGURES 2 and 3, expansion and contraction of the cylinder and piston units 38 will cause the center section 4, and with it the entire mattress support unit, to rotate about the pivot studs 19. More specifically, when the units 38 are contracted from the position shown in FIGURE 2 to the position shown in FIG- URE 3, the rollers 59 will force the rear portion of the mattress support unit upwardly around pivot studs 19. 'If the piston rod 55 is extended from the position shown in FIGURE 2, the rear end of the mattress support unit will rotate ownwardly around pivot studs 19. The amount of rotation in this direction need only be relatively small in order to achieve the various desired positions in which the patients head is slightly lowered.

It will be noted that care has been taken to cause piston rod 55 to operate in tension rather than in compression. In this way a much lighter weight unit 38 will operate smoothly without the bending and binding of the piston rod which would result if the piston rod operated in COlllpression. In order to achieve the desired tension operation of the piston rod, the pivot 19 is placed substantially forward of the center of the mattress support unit, and rollers 59 operate rearwardly of pivot 19. Thus, the center of mass of the mattress support unit without a patient or with a patient lying thereon is always rearward of the pivot 19 to place piston rod 55 in tension. It will be noted that guide track 61 is channel shaped to provide upper and lower opposed bearing surfaces 65 and 66, respectively. According to the previous description, rollers 59 always contact the upper surface 65. One reason for providing the lower surface 66 is to provide for the possibility of a heavy patient sitting on the forward part of the foot section 3 and possibly causing the center of mass to shift slightly forward of pivot 19. In such event the bed would be held by rollers 59 engaging the surface 66. This would place the piston rod 55 in compression, but only relatively minor forces would be involved.

The bed is provided with a headboard 70 comprising an aluminum back member 71 to which is attached a translucent plastic cover 72. One or more lights, preferably fluorescent tubes 73, are mounted behind cover 72 on member 71 and are controlled by a conventional rheostat 74. It will be noted that the headboard is attached to the head section 5 of the mattress supporting unit instead of being attached to the bed frame 2. In this way the lighted headboard is always in position for use by the patient regardless of the position of the mattress support unit. In order that the light can always be perfectly located for the patient, the headboard is adjustably mounted on the head section. More specifically, the headboard is mounted at each side on the right angle bar 75. The upper leg of the bar has a close sliding fit in the back member 71. A screw 76 is threaded in the back member to abut the back and hold it firmly attached to the bar 75. Elevation of the headboard is adjusted by loosening the screws 76, raising or lowering the headboard, and then tightening the screws. The headboard is similarly adjustable rearwardly of head section. More specifically, the lower leg of bar 75 is slidably received in a guide-forming bracket 77 secured to the frame of head section 5. A screw 78 is threaded in the bracket 77 and abuts the lower leg of bar 75 in similar manner to that explained for screw 76.

The bed is provided on each side with identical side arms 80. Each of the arms comprises a center portion comprising two tubular members 81. A tubular extension 82 extends from each end of the center portion and is telescopically received in the tubular center members 81. The center members are held by two mounting brackets 83, 84, a pair of mounting links or bars 85, and two mounting plates 86.

As shown best in FIGURE 5, the mounting bracket 84 comprises a face plate 87 to which is attached a recessed member 88 to form upper and lower channels which slidingly receive the tubular center portions 81 of the side arm. A center channel receives a spring 89 which presses detents 90 into slots in the adjacent sides of members 81. Mounting bar 85 is attached to bracket 84 by a pivot screw 91. The mounting bracket 83 is exactly the same as bracket 84 except that the center rods 81 need not be slidingly received in bracket 83 and are preferably rigidly received therein. Similarly, bracket 83 need not include the spring 89 and detents 90.

The mounting plates 86 are attached to the frame 8 of the center section 4 by means of a plurality of bolts such as the bolt 93 shown on FIGURE 5. One of the brackets 86 on each side of the bed preferably comprises a spring operated detent 94 or other releasable latching means for holding the mounting bars 85, and hence the arms in the raised or in-use position. The bars are attached to the brackets 86 in each case by a pivot bolt 95. Each bracket 86 preferably includes an L- shaped flange having one leg 96 against which the bar 85 abuts to cooperate with detent 94 on providing a firm and positively located in-use position to which the arms 80 can be raised. The otherleg 97 of the L-shaped flange extends at least part way across the face of bar 85 in raised position to relieve the bending load on the pivot bolt 95 and rigidify the arms 80 against outward movement.

In FIGURES 2, 3, 5 and the right side of FIGURE 1, the arms 80 are shown in the raised or in-use position. In this position it will be noted that the arms extend outwardly beyond the side rails 21 of the bed frame so that the arms do not strike the rails when the center section is tilted forwardly as in FIGURE 2. The arms can be moved to the lowered or out-of-use position, simply by depressing detent 94, by pressing ones finger through a hole 98 in bar 85, and swinging the arms rearward and downward until the mounting brackets 83 and 84 rest on the tops of side rails 21. This rearward and downward motion causes the arms to move inwardly because of the important fact that the pivot bolts 95 are not exactly horizontal but are at an angle relative thereto. Thus, when the arms 80 are in the in-use position they extend outwardly beyond the side rails 21 in order to give the patient ample room and in order not to interfere with adjustment of the mattress support unit. When the arms are lowered :to the out-of-use position, they automatically move to a position directly above the side rails, so as not to increase the overall width of the bed.

The reason for the sliding connection between brackets 84 and the side arm center portions 81 will now be described. The sliding connection comes into operation only when the side arms are in the lowered position with brackets 83 and 84 resting on the side rails and the center section 4 is rotated downwardly in the rear. Obviously, the lengths of bars 85 are fixed. Thus when the center section is rotated downwardly about pivot studs 19, the rear pivot bolt 95 will move downwardly substantially more than the forward pivot bolt 95, but the pivot screws 91 are compelled by the side rail to remain horizontal. The nature of the pantograph movement comprising pivots 91 and 93 and the parallel bars 85 then requires a rearrangement if binding or breakage is to be avoided. This rearrangement occurs automatically by bracket 84 sliding along the center members 81.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown and described herein, it is to be understood that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A bed comprising a frame, a mattress support unit having a head section, a foot section and an intermediate section all pivotally connected together, means for rotating said head and foot sections relative to said intermediate section about said pivotal connections, main pivot means connecting said intermediate section to said bed frame, means for rotating said intermediate section relative to said bed frame about said main pivot, side arms for said bed, a headboard attached to the rear end of said head section, a light in said headboard, and means connecting said side arms to said intermediate section adjustably in a direction transversely of said intermediate section and in a direction vertically with respect to said intermediate section for movement between a raised position in which the top of said arms is substantially above said intermediate section and a lowered position in which said side arms are closer together than they are in said raised position.

2. A bed as olairned in claim 1 in which said bed frame includes side rails, said side arms in said lowered position being closely adjacent said rails when said intermediate section is horizontal, and said connection between said arms and said intermediate section including a sliding movement operable to relieve the abutment stress between the arms and rails when the rear of said intermediate section is pivoted below horizontal.

3. A bed comprising a frame having head legs and foot legs and side rails between said head and foot legs, a mattress support unit having a head section, a foot section and an intermediate section, means for adjusting the position of said head and foot sections relative to said intermediate section, means for adjusting the position of said intermediate section relative to said bed frame, and side arms pivotally connected to said intermediate section by a pantograph mechanism for adjustment between raised and lowered positions, said pantograph movement having pivot connections to said intermediate section on pivot axes which slope relative to the plane of said intermediate section, whereby said arms on opposite sides of the bed move apart as they are raised and are wider than said rails in the fully raised position.

4. A bed comprising a frame, a mattress support, means for adjusting said mattress support relative to said frame, side arms connected to said mattress support, said connection between the mattress support and the side arm on each side comprising two brackets spaced along and connected to the side arm, a mounting link connected to each bracket by a first pivot and connected to said mattress support by a second pivot, and said second pivots each having their pivot axis at an angle to the plane of said mattress support.

5. A bed comprising a frame, a mattress support, means for adjusting said mattress support relative to said frame, side arms connected to said mattress support, said connection between the mattress support and the side arm on each side comprising two brackets spaced along and connected to the side arm, a mounting link connected to each bracket by a first pivot and connected to said mattress support by a second pivot, and the rearward one of said brackets on each side of the bed being connected to its respective side arm with a sliding fit.

6. A bed comprising a frame, a mattress support, means for adjusting said mattress support relative to said frame, side arms connected to said mattress support, said connection between the mattress support and the side arm on each side comprising two brackets spaced along and connected to the side arm, a mounting link connected to each bracket by a first pivot and connected to said mattress support by a second pivot, said second pivots each having their pivot axis at an angle to the plane of said mattress support, and the rearward one of said brackets on each side of the bed being connected to its respective side arm with a sliding fit.

7. A bed comprising a frame, a mattress support unit having a head section, a foot section and an intermediate section all pivotally connected together, means for rotating said head and foot sections relative to said intermediate section about said pivotal connections, means for adjusting said intermediate section relative to said bed frame to position said intermediate section selectively in a substantially horizontal or substantially vertical attitude, a pair of mounting links spaced along one side of said intermediate section and pivotally connected thereto, and a side arm pivotally connected to said links so that the links are parallel to each other.

8. A bed comprising a frame, a mattress support unit having a head section, a foot section and an intermediate section all pivotally connected together, means for rotating said head and foot sections relative to said intermediate section about said pivotal connections, means for adjusting said intermediate section relative to said bed frame to position said intermediate section selectively in a substantially horizontal or substantially vertical attitude, and side arms connected to said intermediate section on opposite sides thereof and movable therewith, said side arms being movably connected to said intermediate section for adjustment relative thereto, said side arms having one position of adjustment in which they will strike said frame when said intermediate. section is moved to ward its substantially vertical position, and said arms hav- 4 ing another position of adjustment in which they will not strike said frame when said intermediate section is moved to its substantially vertical position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,337,395 12/1943 Leland 562 2,673,988 4/1954 Myre 5--92 2,687,536 11/1954 Miller 562 8 Burst et al. 5331 Pratt 5-331 Hausted 5331 Black et a1. 5-331 Nelson 566 Examiners. 

1. A BED COMPRISING A FRAME, A MATTRESS SUPPORT UNIT HAVING A HEAD SECTION, A FOOT SECTION AND AN INTERMEDIATE SECTION ALL PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TOGETHER, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID HEAD AND FOOT SECTIONS RELATIVE TO SAID INTERMEDIATE SECTION ABOUT SAID PIVOTAL CONNECTIONS, MAIN PIVOT MEANS CONNECTING SAID INTERMEDIATE SECTION TO SAID BED FRAME, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID INTERMEDIATE SECTION RELATIVE TO SAID BED FRAME ABOUT SAID MEANS PIVOT, SIDE ARMS FOR SAID BED, A HEADBOARD ATTACHED TO THE REAR END OF SAID HEAD SECTION, A LIGHT IN SAID HEADBOARD, AND MEANS CONNECTING SAID SIDE ARMS TO SAID INTERMEDIATE SECTION ADJUSTABLY IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSELY OF SAID INTERMEDIATE SECTION AND IN A DIRECTION VERTICALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID INTERMEDIATE SECTION FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A RAISED POSITION IN WHICH THE TOP OF SAID ARMS IS SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE SAID INTERMEDIATE SECTION AND A LOWERED POSITION IN WHICH SAID SIDE ARMS ARE CLOSER TOGETHER THAN THEY ARE IN SAID RAISED POSITION. 